The science classroom provides significant opportunities and challenges in providing effective differentiation. “The majority of students with special needs receive science education within the general classroom” at the secondary level because the majority of special education teachers do not have the background necessary to teach the content. Thus, more than other content areas, science teachers have a responsibility to differentiate their lessons.
Science teachers have a leg up in this category, however, because science lends itself to many different types of instruction. The most distinctive pieces of the science curriculum are labs and demonstrations. The tangible and visible nature of many scientific phenomena helps science teachers reach students with many different learning styles and exceptionalities.
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Differentiation of Instruction for Different Exceptionalities
English language learners (ELLs) are defined as anyone that whose native or first language is not english, or as anyone who does not speak english at home. It is essential to know if there are English language learners in your class because they have the difficult task of not only having to learn the content of the class, but the language as well. All content teachers are language teachers as well, especially for science, which has such a specific vocabulary that it is similar to teaching a different or new language.
ELLs need support for accomplishing the dual task of learning language and content. Research has shown that it is extremely important for ELLs to learn to read in their first language first and that will later help their reading comprehension in the second language. Therefore, in order to help support this, science teachers, if possible, should have the textbooks available in the student’s first language (Spanish is the largest portion of ELLs and most textbooks are available in the translated Spanish version. If it is only possible to get a single copy of the book, other copies of sections could be made for the students who need them.) Also teachers must consider different things when they are instructing ELLs, such as using content or contexts that are familiar for the ELLs, explicitly teaching vocabulary, and promoting interaction between ELLs and English speakers.
In order to identify ELLs in your class it is important that you give a class survey out in the beginning of the year or to any new students, it is important that in the survey you include questions that ask about where the student is from, what language they prefer to write, read, and speak in. It is important to know these preferences so that from the start you can begin investigating what resources are available for those students and to research their cultures to help present material to them in a familiar context.
Assessments for ELLs:
It is also important to know the different what tests and assessment there are for ELLs and how and where they are reported at your school. For instance, MPS uses an online student database, ESIS that contains all of the student information, if you click on the student’s name then click on the top right where it says “other features” this will take you to another screen where you have to click on “standardized tests” from there will can see the scores and tests they have taken throughout all of their years in MPS. The ACCESS test is the test administered for ELLs in MPS, this test is on a scale of 1 – 6, 1 signifying that the student knows little to no English and 6 signifying the student is completely fluent in English. You have to click on ACCESS and that will bring up all the scores the student has had on the exam including the most recent which will help you understand how much academic English your student really knows and can understand. (
There are specific strategies that are in general just good instruction that helps ELLs, however a major difference with ELLs than other exceptionalities is that a big part of why learning in the classroom is so difficult is because of the difference in cultures. ELLs have experienced a completely different cultural system of learning that can be very contrary to the education system in the U.S. Especially with science, where students are asked to solve problems and do experiments in lab and asked to report their findings to a teacher, ELLs can really struggle with this understanding because they may not be use to the teacher asking them questions or to solve problems, they may be use to more direction and forward instruction from the teacher. Since culture is such a big part of their life and why they may struggle learning the content, it is extremely important for the teacher to research the student’s culture, for example, they should contact the parents, ask the parents and the student about the school they were in before and how the classes were structured so they have an understanding of the differences the student is experiencing. It is also important to understand the student’s culture and background so that concepts they are learning can be related to their background knowledge. Students always have an easier time understanding a new concept if they can relate it back to something they known and have experienced, therefore, for introducing science concepts like temperature it is important to ask students background and relate it to when their parent takes their temperature or how the weather man reports the weather outside. With this concept it is also good to ask students their opinions on what that temperature range usually in, the English language learners will likely give a very different number range, because they are used to using temperature in degrees Celsius. This is a perfect way to reinforce student motivation because in science there are always 2 systems of measuring things, the U.S. system and the metric system, this can be linked to say the measuring system is bilingual just like all of you. The big take away point of this is that students need to link what they are learning to something they have experienced, this can be an extra challenge for English language learners because they are also coming from a different culture and have had different experiences, which if used in the right way can be beneficial to the diversity of the classroom.
Preview/Review is a really good strategy for bilingual classes with teachers who know the student’s native language. This strategy can be used to introduce a topic in the student’s first language, relate the topic to something they know and give the big idea or take away that the lesson will be covering (preview), then the lesson is given in English so that students already have an idea of what to expect and what is coming because it was introduced in their first language, then the students who are at higher levels of English will be able to get to the next level of learning English while all students will know what is still being taught because the preview was in their first language. The review strategy is similar, but instead of at the beginning of the lesson using their first language, you would sum up the lesson and go over the big idea and key points at the end of the lesson in their first language. This strategy is very helpful in bilingual classes where all the students have a common first language background and the teacher can also speak and teach in that first language as well.
With ELLs it is essential to use images and pictures with concepts and vocabulary. As discussed above culture and experience has a lot to do with how students learn, if students do not have experiences to relate the concept to, then it is the teacher’s job to create those experiences for the students so that they will remember and learn it better. Especially in the science content so many things can be shown and demonstrated in the classroom that give the students a chance to see things first hand. This is particularly useful for English language learners because images and pictures are something that everyone can see and understand. By introducing a concept with a demonstration or doing a lab along with lecture students that are struggling to understand the exact words can still follow along the lesson and understand what is going on because they can see what is actually happening with the demonstration or the lab. This is also why it is important when describing new things for students to always include a picture representation. This is also just a good way of reaching the visual learners.
Graphic Organizers
As was stated above, ELLs have the challenge of not only learning the content, but learning the language as well, because of this difficult dual task, guided notes for ELLs are the most helpful. Guided notes can allow students who are learning English to be able to follow along, it is also important to always have visuals for ELLs, the guided notes should be presented as a visual as well so that students can follow along and not worry about getting everything done and can concentrate on trying to take in an learn as much as they can. This way they also have all the information and can look over it later and spend more time on it if they need to. The guided notes need to be broken down into separate parts and images or a place for them to draw picture representations of the words is needed as well.
In addition for the science content particularly there are many graphic organizers that can be used such as flow charts and cycles to show the relationship between the different words and concepts.
Partners/Groups
If there are multiple English language learners with the same language background it can be very beneficial to them to pair them with some that are at higher levels of academic English to support one another. However, the task must be something that both students have certain responsibilities for to insure they are working together and one is not doing all the work.
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is an essential part of teaching that is significant to the instruction of ELLs. Scaffolding is a way of teaching that allows students to be at different levels and help them get to the next academic level.
When assessing English language learners it is important to remember they are learning a language as well. It is essential that teachers assess the knowledge and language separately. For example, if necessary and possible assessments should be translated for students so that they can understand and answer the questions to the best of their ability. They should also be able to ask clarification questions about what certain questions are asking because teachers need to recognize the difference between assessing their knowledge of the content and language. For some science concepts it is possible for students to draw images to show their understanding of the concepts. Such as showing that when water turns to ice the mass stays the same but the volume changes, a student can instead draw a picture of 2 scales with the same mass but draw in lines at different levels to show the change in volume.
What is ADHD?
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is exactly that: students with ADHD have difficulty paying attention to anything for long and have trouble remaining in one position for long as well.The APA defines it as “The essential feature of Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity is a persistent pattern of inattention and / or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development” (Brooks). People affected by ADHD display symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattentiveness.It is difficult for these students to conform to the desired behavioral expectations in mostschools of sitting quietly, taking notes, and listening to the teacher talk. On top of that, student learning is most often assessed via written tests and quizzes, which also require the same difficult behaviors.
Students with ADHD need support and patience in staying focused.Fortunately, science, unlike many other subjects, has an increased capacity for hands-on and visual lessons.Labs and Demos can make a dry and boring explanation exciting and knowable.
Identifying Student’s with ADHD: Unlike other exceptionalities, ADHD is a clinical diagnosis and the initial identification involves a medical evaluation instead of in-school testing.However, even without a diagnosis, a teacher will easily identify students who lie on the hyperactive or impulsive ends of the spectrum.These students need to stand up and move around more, need to talk more, and have difficulty focusing on the same task for long amounts of time without breaks.
ADHD in the science classroom: The science classroom provides significant opportunities and challenges in providing effective differentiation.“The majority of students with special needs receive science education within the general classroom” at the secondary level because the majority of special education teachers do not have the background necessary to teach the content (Irving).Thus, more than other content areas, science teachers have a responsibility to differentiate their lessons. Science teachers have a leg up in this category, however, because science lends itself to many different types of instruction.Science content is about the tangible world around us in ways that other subjects simply are not.The most distinctive pieces of the science curriculum are Labs and Demonstrations (demos).
Accommodations within the Science Classroom: There are myriad possible accommodations for students with ADHD in the science classroom.Because of the physical nature of science, instruction can reach students in a variety of ways. To reach students with ADHD, accommodations are often best practices for all students.
Stimulating Lessons Starting with the Unit Plan: Demo-Lecture-Lab
Creating novel lessons that can hold a student with ADHDs attention is the number one way to accommodate them.The hands-on laboratory investigations and exciting demonstrations that are an integral part of any science classroom can catalyze such lessons. The student can then connect the physical demonstration to the more abstract concepts. One way to incorporate labs and demos is to structure each unit around them.As an introduction to the unit, the teacher performs an interesting and exciting demonstration to catapult the class into the unit.Second, the class has the opportunity to analyze the demo and apply new knowledge to what they observed at the beginning.This second step can take the form of more conventional instruction punctuated by connections to the exciting opener to the unit. Third, the unit will build toward a large laboratory investigation.This can be broken up throughout the unit so that instruction is done through the different components of the project as well as other forms.Dividing abstract material into smaller, more manageable chunks between concrete visuals will help maintain student engagement.Finally, the unit will be capped by the full laboratory investigation.Not only will this give students the chance to absorb the material in an alternative manner, it creates the opportunity for an alternative assessment of student learning.
Following a “Demo-Lecture-Lab” trajectory helps facilitate other accommodations for ADHD:
·Maintain a schedule/Provide a Checklist:students march through the scientific method in any inquiry-based project.On the macro level, this sets up a schedule so that students know the steps they will be taking in each unit.On a micro level, students can visualize the knowledge they are building if they have seen a demo and then check off what they need to explain it. ·Brevity and Clarity:Demonstrations and Labs give the instructor a go-to metaphor for the unit.The demo gives the class a common experience that the teacher can tap into and make abstract concepts clearer.Also, creating time to work on inquiry-based projects decreases the amount of time available for other lessons, necessitating brevity.Concise explanations are easier to repeat and remember. ·Provide Optimal Stimulation:is there anything that stimulates learning better than a hands-on lab experience? ·Allow for movement and postures other than sitting:Investigative labs allow students to get out of their desks and move around a little bit. ·Groupwork:While working in groups has the potential to distract, it can also help carry students prone to drift.Group members can fill in the gaps left when a student’s mind wanders; collaboration instead of loneliness. ·Specific instructions: in order for a high school classroom to perform an experiment, detailed instructions must accompany it.Otherwise, someone gets covered in acid or breaths too much ammonia and their diaphragm stops working.Detailed instructions are particularly helpful for students with ADHD for the same reasons that providing a checklist is helpful for them.
- Developmental Disabilities
Developmental Disabilities are the “physical or mental disabilities that impair the person’s functioning in language, mobility, self-care, or other important areas of living.” These are generally divided into two categories: mental retardation and severe disabilities. Mental retardation consists of limited intellectual functioning and limitations in adaptive behavior. Severe disability refers to motor or sensory impairments along with forms of mental retardation in which the ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are affected.
Teaching Students Who are Exceptional, Diverse and at Risk.Vaughn et al. (163)
Because students with developmental disabilities usually lack social, motor and/or communication skills, incorporating development of these skills in your science classroom will benefit your student’s overall learning.
How to incorporate social/communicational skills in your classroom?
Plan your classroom environment to be conducive to learning for everyone. Visual cues (such as signs for “snack time” “reading time” “class time” and “play time”) will help orient the student to what is supposed to happen during this time in the class.
Predictable and consistent schedules should be posted every day. Start the class the same way every day (an introduction, a song, a movie clip etc) so when that intro happens the student knows it is time for class to start.
Lessons and Evaluations When planning your lessons for students who have developmental disabilities you have to realize that their base concepts might be different from the rest of the class. In using the planning pyramid for example, you might set a base concept that all of your students need to master. When you have a student with a developmental disability, that base concept might need to be altered specifically for the student. These modifications will be specific for each DD student and will really only be effective when discussed with the teaching network of parents, teachers, therapists. Many DD students lack the social cues and culture “common sense” ideas that are important for life in our society. For example if your base concept all students must know for your class are the basic components of Earth’s surface, your DD student might need to identify the three types of weather and the appropriate clothing for each. (Vaughn et al pg 173).
*Remember:
The goals of your DD student are going to be different than the rest of the class. Discussing the student’s particular goals and learning requirements with parents, teachers and therapists is critical to develop a specific, reasonable lesson plan that is at a level which is able to be understood and challenges at the same time.
Even though learning outcomes are going to be different the DD students IS STILL A MEMBER OF YOUR CLASS. Involvement and participation in the class is vital for the student to learn and develop social and communication skills.
How do I encourage participation of my DD student in my science class?
Build student motivation! Alternate activities they enjoy with activities they might not. Students of all abilities work harder and concentrate more when they know they have a fun hands on activity after their independent reading/worksheet/etc is done. Learning the content first and then applying it is a fun creative way! (Labs, hands on, outside activities, etc.)
Give your DD student some autonomy. Let them choose their topic for their report, or where they want to read during study time or who their peer study partner will be. Giving the students a sense of independence will increase self esteem encouraging the child to participate more.
My DD student has trouble understanding directions. How do I make sure they know what to do?
Make sure directions and explanations are clearly understood. Visual cues and hands on demonstrations help with this dramatically.
Assign a peer buddy to work together and go over material and to help the student stay on task. Alternating the buddy also helps to form friendships with other students in the class.
Parent Contact
As noted previously, the learning goals of a DD student are going to be ones best determined by keeping an open line of communication between all “teachers” involved in the child’s education. Continually talking to the parents, sending notes home or having an interactive notebook to record the student’s progress is a great way to keep in contact with the parents and let them know how their child is doing.
When children with learning disabilities do not get their needs met, they stop trying. Statistics show this. Twice as many drop out of high school, which leads to lower employment rates and higher adjudication rates. Obviously it is critical for students to succeed in our classrooms.
There is a huge spectrum of learning disabilities, and their needs and appropriate educations can be completely individualized. However, by accommodating just one student, sometimes we get an insight into how we can adjust lesson plans and activities so that every student can understand and learn a little easier.
Secondary science classrooms are noted for their heavy use of textbooks, new and highly specified vocabulary, and engaging demonstrations. For students with severe, or even mild, learning disabilities, this presents a problem. Vocabulary and textbooks are intimidating and often seen as unapproachable, and demos, while fun, are sometimes difficult to connect back to the topic at hand. When learning doesn’t occur, this can easily lead to frustration and giving up. This is why setting up a classroom where learning is achievable for all types of learners is so critical for the science classroom.
Building relationships and setting up environments
Establishing a relationship with the student’s parents is a good first step. LD communities encourage the following:
Positive and frequent communication
Encourage parents to give advice about what works effectively with their child
Create a welcoming environment in your classroom for both students and parents
But what does it mean to create a welcoming environment? On the secondary level, it may mean having some very real, very honest conversations with the class about appropriate behaviors and assistance. For the student involved, it may mean a continual check-up about how comfortable the student is during the class. Some suggestions that have been made for LD students in general education classrooms are.
Providing positive reinforcement and encouragement
involving LD students in whole-class or small group activities
Further establishing a personal relationship with the student
Introduction
Setting up the environment of a classroom is not as specific to a science classroom. Tricks like putting up the daily schedule on the wall help, and sitting students that have a problem understanding or concentrating up near the front is also helpful. In addition, students that tend to have negative interactions should be seated far from each other. Large, colorful posters related to the subject at hand, or sheets on the wall where students can track their progress are good additions to a classroom to create a friendly atmosphere. As the day begins, it is good for students who have trouble paying attention or staying on task to have some set routine for the day. A "Do Now" or "Bellringer" activity could easily fit this requirement, and it gives students a little extra time to prepare themselves for the class before the teacher begins. Organization in the classroom is a good thing!
Lesson Differentiation
No one learns in the same way, so teachers must teach to a variety of learning styles.
Once the day begins and the class commences, as a teacher, in some respects you must treat the experience differently than you would any other classroom. For the actual presentation of the content, however, repetition is the way to move forward. However, that doesn't mean that you should just repeat something until the kids are sick of it (don't just say "the Earth is tilted toward the sun in summer" 20 different times). This will often lead to the rest of the class getting bored or angry. You need to repeat it in different ways, for different types of learners. For example, lecture about the tilt first while the students fill out a guided notesheet and draw the tilt during the summer, then have students answer questions in their textbook based around the fact that the Earth is tilted, then have students break off into groups to model the tilt of the Earth using clay...in as many ways possible, emphasize your one main point, but do it in a way that makes it easy for ALL styles of learning. What applies in a science classroom lends itself easily to activity-based learning, which causes students with LDs to perform higher on tests.
Textbook
With elaborate vocab and small font, textbooks are particular hurdles to get LD students through. But for many LD students, one particular extra approach may help. Expertssuggest just choosing the most suitable technique and sticking with it. Approaches include the use of study guides, graphic organizers, a vocabulary drill, and computer-assisted instruction.
But sometimes, as we all know, guidance isn't enough, and we have to center our lesson on what we REALLY want our students to walk away with. It has been reported that 75-80% of students classified as learning disabled have their basic deficits in oral and written language. Sometimes the volume of reading can be cut down, and sometimes it's necessary for the teacher to re-write the essential points and really pare things down for the student. Reading with a partner and reviewing vocabulary can also help.
Evaluation
The importance of involvement cannot be over-stressed here. If you don't know your student, you don't know what your student is capable of. Understanding the IEP is important to constructing and modifying the assessment, but will also guide the teacher in creating and modifying classwork to lead up to performance on an exam. Since activity-based learning is so key in the LD/science classroom, alternative assessment or several types of assessment may be used. For example, in a biology classroom, identifying an organelle on a laboratory slide might be a part of the assessment. In an astronomy classroom, completing an in-depth group project about planets might be part of the assessment. Personal example: one of my LD students had particular trouble calculating the force of gravitation between two objects. After spending some time with him, I found that if I wrote out the equation in large letters, he could get the solution correct every time. By modifying his tests on those particular math questions, I got the results I wanted: this student perservered and ended up doing better than many of his peers on the final exam.
A further consideration is what to do during a standard assessment. Generally special educators alone work on making sure all students do as much as possible during the exam, but for further suggestions on assessment adaptation, I recommend the following link.
- Other Health Impairments (OHI)
Other Health Impairments (OHI) cover a wide range of health impairments that require schools to fill the special education needs of these students. These impairments are generally divided into two sub-groups: medically fragile and technologically dependent. With a wide range of diseases and disorders involved, including HIV, substance abuse, diabetes, cancer and beyond, these children’s lives may become at risk on a regular basis, so accommodating their needs in the classroom is essential.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines “other health impairments” as “having limited strength, vitality or altertness, due to chronic or acute health problems such as heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”
Be flexible: Students who suffer from health impairments may have their situations changed at an instant, so teachers must be prepared at an instant to adjust their lesson plans accordingly. Whether it means adjusting a lesson plan to fit the needs of a particular student or adjusting the level of a desk to fit the needs of a student with a wheelchair, teachers need to come to class prepared to teach and prepared to change. As if teaching did not already involve 300 tasks at once, teachers nevertheless need to be prepared for the unexpected.
Be technologically aware: Some students may need different technological resources to assist them throughout the day with their needs. For some students, this may mean a computer keyboard to write or speaking devices to communicate. Teachers are recommended to check with their fellow technological leaders at their individual school and at the district as a whole to find out who can provide students with the resources they need to succeed.
Be creative: Teachers need to be creative in terms of lesson preparation and resource availability. Students may need to rely on other students to help them out – putting two friends together may not be a bad thing if one can help the other. Teachers should provide students with additional aids they may need and provide a differentiated learning environment for all their students, as students with other health impairments — and ones without, for that matter — learn in very different ways.
The Context/Content of a Science Classroom
The science classroom provides significant opportunities and challenges in providing effective differentiation. “The majority of students with special needs receive science education within the general classroom” at the secondary level because the majority of special education teachers do not have the background necessary to teach the content. Thus, more than other content areas, science teachers have a responsibility to differentiate their lessons.
Science teachers have a leg up in this category, however, because science lends itself to many different types of instruction. The most distinctive pieces of the science curriculum are labs and demonstrations. The tangible and visible nature of many scientific phenomena helps science teachers reach students with many different learning styles and exceptionalities.
To return to the home page at any time, click :
Differentiation of Instruction for Different Exceptionalities
Table of Contents:
| - English Language Learners (ELLs) | - Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) | - Developmental Disabilities | - Learning Disabilities (LD) | - Other Health Impairments (OHI)
- English Language Learners (ELLs)
English language learners (ELLs) are defined as anyone that whose native or first language is not english, or as anyone who does not speak english at home. It is essential to know if there are English language learners in your class because they have the difficult task of not only having to learn the content of the class, but the language as well. All content teachers are language teachers as well, especially for science, which has such a specific vocabulary that it is similar to teaching a different or new language.
ELLs need support for accomplishing the dual task of learning language and content. Research has shown that it is extremely important for ELLs to learn to read in their first language first and that will later help their reading comprehension in the second language. Therefore, in order to help support this, science teachers, if possible, should have the textbooks available in the student’s first language (Spanish is the largest portion of ELLs and most textbooks are available in the translated Spanish version. If it is only possible to get a single copy of the book, other copies of sections could be made for the students who need them.) Also teachers must consider different things when they are instructing ELLs, such as using content or contexts that are familiar for the ELLs, explicitly teaching vocabulary, and promoting interaction between ELLs and English speakers.
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Relevant background information:
In order to identify ELLs in your class it is important that you give a class survey out in the beginning of the year or to any new students, it is important that in the survey you include questions that ask about where the student is from, what language they prefer to write, read, and speak in. It is important to know these preferences so that from the start you can begin investigating what resources are available for those students and to research their cultures to help present material to them in a familiar context.
Assessments for ELLs:
It is also important to know the different what tests and assessment there are for ELLs and how and where they are reported at your school. For instance, MPS uses an online student database, ESIS that contains all of the student information, if you click on the student’s name then click on the top right where it says “other features” this will take you to another screen where you have to click on “standardized tests” from there will can see the scores and tests they have taken throughout all of their years in MPS. The ACCESS test is the test administered for ELLs in MPS, this test is on a scale of 1 – 6, 1 signifying that the student knows little to no English and 6 signifying the student is completely fluent in English. You have to click on ACCESS and that will bring up all the scores the student has had on the exam including the most recent which will help you understand how much academic English your student really knows and can understand. (
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Strategies to use in the classroom:
Cultural Component
There are specific strategies that are in general just good instruction that helps ELLs, however a major difference with ELLs than other exceptionalities is that a big part of why learning in the classroom is so difficult is because of the difference in cultures. ELLs have experienced a completely different cultural system of learning that can be very contrary to the education system in the U.S. Especially with science, where students are asked to solve problems and do experiments in lab and asked to report their findings to a teacher, ELLs can really struggle with this understanding because they may not be use to the teacher asking them questions or to solve problems, they may be use to more direction and forward instruction from the teacher. Since culture is such a big part of their life and why they may struggle learning the content, it is extremely important for the teacher to research the student’s culture, for example, they should contact the parents, ask the parents and the student about the school they were in before and how the classes were structured so they have an understanding of the differences the student is experiencing. It is also important to understand the student’s culture and background so that concepts they are learning can be related to their background knowledge. Students always have an easier time understanding a new concept if they can relate it back to something they known and have experienced, therefore, for introducing science concepts like temperature it is important to ask students background and relate it to when their parent takes their temperature or how the weather man reports the weather outside. With this concept it is also good to ask students their opinions on what that temperature range usually in, the English language learners will likely give a very different number range, because they are used to using temperature in degrees Celsius. This is a perfect way to reinforce student motivation because in science there are always 2 systems of measuring things, the U.S. system and the metric system, this can be linked to say the measuring system is bilingual just like all of you. The big take away point of this is that students need to link what they are learning to something they have experienced, this can be an extra challenge for English language learners because they are also coming from a different culture and have had different experiences, which if used in the right way can be beneficial to the diversity of the classroom.
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Preview/Review
Preview/Review is a really good strategy for bilingual classes with teachers who know the student’s native language. This strategy can be used to introduce a topic in the student’s first language, relate the topic to something they know and give the big idea or take away that the lesson will be covering (preview), then the lesson is given in English so that students already have an idea of what to expect and what is coming because it was introduced in their first language, then the students who are at higher levels of English will be able to get to the next level of learning English while all students will know what is still being taught because the preview was in their first language. The review strategy is similar, but instead of at the beginning of the lesson using their first language, you would sum up the lesson and go over the big idea and key points at the end of the lesson in their first language. This strategy is very helpful in bilingual classes where all the students have a common first language background and the teacher can also speak and teach in that first language as well.
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Images/Pictures/symbols
With ELLs it is essential to use images and pictures with concepts and vocabulary. As discussed above culture and experience has a lot to do with how students learn, if students do not have experiences to relate the concept to, then it is the teacher’s job to create those experiences for the students so that they will remember and learn it better. Especially in the science content so many things can be shown and demonstrated in the classroom that give the students a chance to see things first hand. This is particularly useful for English language learners because images and pictures are something that everyone can see and understand. By introducing a concept with a demonstration or doing a lab along with lecture students that are struggling to understand the exact words can still follow along the lesson and understand what is going on because they can see what is actually happening with the demonstration or the lab. This is also why it is important when describing new things for students to always include a picture representation. This is also just a good way of reaching the visual learners.
Graphic Organizers
As was stated above, ELLs have the challenge of not only learning the content, but learning the language as well, because of this difficult dual task, guided notes for ELLs are the most helpful. Guided notes can allow students who are learning English to be able to follow along, it is also important to always have visuals for ELLs, the guided notes should be presented as a visual as well so that students can follow along and not worry about getting everything done and can concentrate on trying to take in an learn as much as they can. This way they also have all the information and can look over it later and spend more time on it if they need to. The guided notes need to be broken down into separate parts and images or a place for them to draw picture representations of the words is needed as well.
In addition for the science content particularly there are many graphic organizers that can be used such as flow charts and cycles to show the relationship between the different words and concepts.
Partners/Groups
If there are multiple English language learners with the same language background it can be very beneficial to them to pair them with some that are at higher levels of academic English to support one another. However, the task must be something that both students have certain responsibilities for to insure they are working together and one is not doing all the work.
Scaffolding
Scaffolding is an essential part of teaching that is significant to the instruction of ELLs. Scaffolding is a way of teaching that allows students to be at different levels and help them get to the next academic level.
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Assessments
When assessing English language learners it is important to remember they are learning a language as well. It is essential that teachers assess the knowledge and language separately. For example, if necessary and possible assessments should be translated for students so that they can understand and answer the questions to the best of their ability. They should also be able to ask clarification questions about what certain questions are asking because teachers need to recognize the difference between assessing their knowledge of the content and language. For some science concepts it is possible for students to draw images to show their understanding of the concepts. Such as showing that when water turns to ice the mass stays the same but the volume changes, a student can instead draw a picture of 2 scales with the same mass but draw in lines at different levels to show the change in volume.
[[http://ELL and Science|http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/ESL/elp_videos.html#]]
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
What is ADHD?Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is exactly that: students with ADHD have difficulty paying attention to anything for long and have trouble remaining in one position for long as well. The APA defines it as “The essential feature of Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity is a persistent pattern of inattention and / or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequently displayed and more severe than is typically observed in individuals at a comparable level of development” (Brooks). People affected by ADHD display symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and/or inattentiveness. It is difficult for these students to conform to the desired behavioral expectations in most schools of sitting quietly, taking notes, and listening to the teacher talk. On top of that, student learning is most often assessed via written tests and quizzes, which also require the same difficult behaviors.
Students with ADHD need support and patience in staying focused. Fortunately, science, unlike many other subjects, has an increased capacity for hands-on and visual lessons. Labs and Demos can make a dry and boring explanation exciting and knowable.
Identifying Student’s with ADHD:
Unlike other exceptionalities, ADHD is a clinical diagnosis and the initial identification involves a medical evaluation instead of in-school testing. However, even without a diagnosis, a teacher will easily identify students who lie on the hyperactive or impulsive ends of the spectrum. These students need to stand up and move around more, need to talk more, and have difficulty focusing on the same task for long amounts of time without breaks.
ADHD in the science classroom:
The science classroom provides significant opportunities and challenges in providing effective differentiation. “The majority of students with special needs receive science education within the general classroom” at the secondary level because the majority of special education teachers do not have the background necessary to teach the content (Irving). Thus, more than other content areas, science teachers have a responsibility to differentiate their lessons.
Science teachers have a leg up in this category, however, because science lends itself to many different types of instruction. Science content is about the tangible world around us in ways that other subjects simply are not. The most distinctive pieces of the science curriculum are Labs and Demonstrations (demos).
Accommodations within the Science Classroom:
There are myriad possible accommodations for students with ADHD in the science classroom. Because of the physical nature of science, instruction can reach students in a variety of ways. To reach students with ADHD, accommodations are often best practices for all students.
Stimulating Lessons Starting with the Unit Plan: Demo-Lecture-Lab
Creating novel lessons that can hold a student with ADHDs attention is the number one way to accommodate them. The hands-on laboratory investigations and exciting demonstrations that are an integral part of any science classroom can catalyze such lessons. The student can then connect the physical demonstration to the more abstract concepts.
One way to incorporate labs and demos is to structure each unit around them. As an introduction to the unit, the teacher performs an interesting and exciting demonstration to catapult the class into the unit. Second, the class has the opportunity to analyze the demo and apply new knowledge to what they observed at the beginning. This second step can take the form of more conventional instruction punctuated by connections to the exciting opener to the unit.
Third, the unit will build toward a large laboratory investigation. This can be broken up throughout the unit so that instruction is done through the different components of the project as well as other forms. Dividing abstract material into smaller, more manageable chunks between concrete visuals will help maintain student engagement. Finally, the unit will be capped by the full laboratory investigation. Not only will this give students the chance to absorb the material in an alternative manner, it creates the opportunity for an alternative assessment of student learning.
Following a “Demo-Lecture-Lab” trajectory helps facilitate other accommodations for ADHD:
· Maintain a schedule/Provide a Checklist: students march through the scientific method in any inquiry-based project. On the macro level, this sets up a schedule so that students know the steps they will be taking in each unit. On a micro level, students can visualize the knowledge they are building if they have seen a demo and then check off what they need to explain it.
· Brevity and Clarity: Demonstrations and Labs give the instructor a go-to metaphor for the unit. The demo gives the class a common experience that the teacher can tap into and make abstract concepts clearer. Also, creating time to work on inquiry-based projects decreases the amount of time available for other lessons, necessitating brevity. Concise explanations are easier to repeat and remember.
· Provide Optimal Stimulation: is there anything that stimulates learning better than a hands-on lab experience?
· Allow for movement and postures other than sitting: Investigative labs allow students to get out of their desks and move around a little bit.
· Groupwork: While working in groups has the potential to distract, it can also help carry students prone to drift. Group members can fill in the gaps left when a student’s mind wanders; collaboration instead of loneliness.
· Specific instructions: in order for a high school classroom to perform an experiment, detailed instructions must accompany it. Otherwise, someone gets covered in acid or breaths too much ammonia and their diaphragm stops working. Detailed instructions are particularly helpful for students with ADHD for the same reasons that providing a checklist is helpful for them.
- Developmental Disabilities
Developmental Disabilities are the “physical or mental disabilities that impair the person’s functioning in language, mobility, self-care, or other important areas of living.” These are generally divided into two categories: mental retardation and severe disabilities. Mental retardation consists of limited intellectual functioning and limitations in adaptive behavior. Severe disability refers to motor or sensory impairments along with forms of mental retardation in which the ability to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are affected.
Teaching Students Who are Exceptional, Diverse and at Risk. Vaughn et al. (163)
Because students with developmental disabilities usually lack social, motor and/or communication skills, incorporating development of these skills in your science classroom will benefit your student’s overall learning.
How to incorporate social/communicational skills in your classroom?
Lessons and Evaluations
When planning your lessons for students who have developmental disabilities you have to realize that their base concepts might be different from the rest of the class. In using the planning pyramid for example, you might set a base concept that all of your students need to master. When you have a student with a developmental disability, that base concept might need to be altered specifically for the student. These modifications will be specific for each DD student and will really only be effective when discussed with the teaching network of parents, teachers, therapists. Many DD students lack the social cues and culture “common sense” ideas that are important for life in our society. For example if your base concept all students must know for your class are the basic components of Earth’s surface, your DD student might need to identify the three types of weather and the appropriate clothing for each. (Vaughn et al pg 173).
*Remember:
How do I encourage participation of my DD student in my science class?
My DD student has trouble understanding directions. How do I make sure they know what to do?
Parent Contact
- As noted previously, the learning goals of a DD student are going to be ones best determined by keeping an open line of communication between all “teachers” involved in the child’s education. Continually talking to the parents, sending notes home or having an interactive notebook to record the student’s progress is a great way to keep in contact with the parents and let them know how their child is doing.
http://www.interventioncentral.org- Learning Disabilities (LD)
When children with learning disabilities do not get their needs met, they stop trying. Statistics show this. Twice as many drop out of high school, which leads to lower employment rates and higher adjudication rates. Obviously it is critical for students to succeed in our classrooms.There is a huge spectrum of learning disabilities, and their needs and appropriate educations can be completely individualized. However, by accommodating just one student, sometimes we get an insight into how we can adjust lesson plans and activities so that every student can understand and learn a little easier.
Secondary science classrooms are noted for their heavy use of textbooks, new and highly specified vocabulary, and engaging demonstrations. For students with severe, or even mild, learning disabilities, this presents a problem. Vocabulary and textbooks are intimidating and often seen as unapproachable, and demos, while fun, are sometimes difficult to connect back to the topic at hand. When learning doesn’t occur, this can easily lead to frustration and giving up. This is why setting up a classroom where learning is achievable for all types of learners is so critical for the science classroom.
Building relationships and setting up environments
Establishing a relationship with the student’s parents is a good first step. LD communities encourage the following:
But what does it mean to create a welcoming environment? On the secondary level, it may mean having some very real, very honest conversations with the class about appropriate behaviors and assistance. For the student involved, it may mean a continual check-up about how comfortable the student is during the class. Some suggestions that have been made for LD students in general education classrooms are.
Source: Observations of Students with Learning Disabilities in General Education Classrooms, McIntosh et al.
Introduction
Setting up the environment of a classroom is not as specific to a science classroom. Tricks like putting up the daily schedule on the wall help, and sitting students that have a problem understanding or concentrating up near the front is also helpful. In addition, students that tend to have negative interactions should be seated far from each other. Large, colorful posters related to the subject at hand, or sheets on the wall where students can track their progress are good additions to a classroom to create a friendly atmosphere. As the day begins, it is good for students who have trouble paying attention or staying on task to have some set routine for the day. A "Do Now" or "Bellringer" activity could easily fit this requirement, and it gives students a little extra time to prepare themselves for the class before the teacher begins. Organization in the classroom is a good thing!
Lesson Differentiation
Once the day begins and the class commences, as a teacher, in some respects you must treat the experience differently than you would any other classroom. For the actual presentation of the content, however, repetition is the way to move forward. However, that doesn't mean that you should just repeat something until the kids are sick of it (don't just say "the Earth is tilted toward the sun in summer" 20 different times). This will often lead to the rest of the class getting bored or angry. You need to repeat it in different ways, for different types of learners. For example, lecture about the tilt first while the students fill out a guided notesheet and draw the tilt during the summer, then have students answer questions in their textbook based around the fact that the Earth is tilted, then have students break off into groups to model the tilt of the Earth using clay...in as many ways possible, emphasize your one main point, but do it in a way that makes it easy for ALL styles of learning. What applies in a science classroom lends itself easily to activity-based learning, which causes students with LDs to perform higher on tests.
Source: Teaching Science to Students with Learning Disabilities, Grumbine and Alden
Textbook
With elaborate vocab and small font, textbooks are particular hurdles to get LD students through. But for many LD students, one particular extra approach may help. Expertssuggest just choosing the most suitable technique and sticking with it. Approaches include the use of study guides, graphic organizers, a vocabulary drill, and computer-assisted instruction.
But sometimes, as we all know, guidance isn't enough, and we have to center our lesson on what we REALLY want our students to walk away with. It has been reported that 75-80% of students classified as learning disabled have their basic deficits in oral and written language. Sometimes the volume of reading can be cut down, and sometimes it's necessary for the teacher to re-write the essential points and really pare things down for the student. Reading with a partner and reviewing vocabulary can also help.
Evaluation
The importance of involvement cannot be over-stressed here. If you don't know your student, you don't know what your student is capable of. Understanding the IEP is important to constructing and modifying the assessment, but will also guide the teacher in creating and modifying classwork to lead up to performance on an exam. Since activity-based learning is so key in the LD/science classroom, alternative assessment or several types of assessment may be used. For example, in a biology classroom, identifying an organelle on a laboratory slide might be a part of the assessment. In an astronomy classroom, completing an in-depth group project about planets might be part of the assessment.
Personal example: one of my LD students had particular trouble calculating the force of gravitation between two objects. After spending some time with him, I found that if I wrote out the equation in large letters, he could get the solution correct every time. By modifying his tests on those particular math questions, I got the results I wanted: this student perservered and ended up doing better than many of his peers on the final exam.
A further consideration is what to do during a standard assessment. Generally special educators alone work on making sure all students do as much as possible during the exam, but for further suggestions on assessment adaptation, I recommend the following link.
- Other Health Impairments (OHI)
Other Health Impairments (OHI) cover a wide range of health impairments that require schools to fill the special education needs of these students. These impairments are generally divided into two sub-groups: medically fragile and technologically dependent. With a wide range of diseases and disorders involved, including HIV, substance abuse, diabetes, cancer and beyond, these children’s lives may become at risk on a regular basis, so accommodating their needs in the classroom is essential.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act defines “other health impairments” as “having limited strength, vitality or altertness, due to chronic or acute health problems such as heart condition, tuberculosis, rheumatic fever, nephritis, asthma, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, epilepsy, lead poisoning, leukemia, or diabetes, that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.”
Be flexible: Students who suffer from health impairments may have their situations changed at an instant, so teachers must be prepared at an instant to adjust their lesson plans accordingly. Whether it means adjusting a lesson plan to fit the needs of a particular student or adjusting the level of a desk to fit the needs of a student with a wheelchair, teachers need to come to class prepared to teach and prepared to change. As if teaching did not already involve 300 tasks at once, teachers nevertheless need to be prepared for the unexpected.
Be technologically aware: Some students may need different technological resources to assist them throughout the day with their needs. For some students, this may mean a computer keyboard to write or speaking devices to communicate. Teachers are recommended to check with their fellow technological leaders at their individual school and at the district as a whole to find out who can provide students with the resources they need to succeed.
Be creative: Teachers need to be creative in terms of lesson preparation and resource availability. Students may need to rely on other students to help them out – putting two friends together may not be a bad thing if one can help the other. Teachers should provide students with additional aids they may need and provide a differentiated learning environment for all their students, as students with other health impairments — and ones without, for that matter — learn in very different ways.